Bhubaneswar: Panic has gripped the Odia community in the United States of America (USA) as the novel coronavirus cases in the country has touched a whopping 8,86,709 with 50,243 deaths till Friday. The country records over 2,000 deaths per a day on an average.
Fearing economic slump, several states in the USA are pleading for the revocation of lockdown and resumption of businesses and industrial production. Many health experts, however, opined that any such move will lead to rise in coronavirus cases.
As many as 20 states of USA, representing 40 per cent of the total population of the country, have announced that they are making plans to resume economic activities shortly. States like Georgia and South Carolina allowed some businesses to reopen this week.
Most of the members of Odia community are staying indoors as part of a precautionary measure to check the spread of COVID-19.
Pratyush Das, a postgraduate student at Oklahoma State University, said there were around 2,900 coronavirus cases in the state with 164 deaths. “Our university has been shut since March. We have been in quarantine since then. Now, we have virtual classes. Unlike India, the lockdown is not being enforced strictly here,” Das said.
Das further revealed that most of the people in the locality were not very serious about coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown. “People here are still roaming around. The employees of stores selling essential commodities and those of gas stations are yet to have gloves and protective masks. Groceries and essentials are being ordered online. But, we aren’t getting masks anywhere,” Das added.
According to Das, most of the shops in his locality have exhausted their stock of soaps and sanitisers long ago. “Most of us are scheduled to graduate after the coming semester. However, most of the companies have stopped hiring. So, it is very much difficult to get a job here. Some firms have cancelled their offer letters in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. The Governor of the state has announced that businesses would reopen phase wise,” Das revealed.
Sarmishta Satpathy, a member of Odia community in California, said there were protests in many states of USA over the lockdown. Some states are considering resumption of business activities in near future.
“We are mostly staying at home. We are using masks and maintaining the social distancing while buying groceries and other essentials. Measures are also in place to regulate the entry of people into stores. There are round marks in front of stores to ensure social distancing among the buyers. Policemen have been deployed at some grocery stores to regulate the crowd. But, some people are still going to parks for walks,” Satpathy said.
Jayant Rout, a resident of Austin, Texas said the local Governor is planning to revoke the lockdown. “Small businesses are the worst hit in this lockdown. Small businessmen want that the government must allow them to resume their business activities,” Rout added.
Meanwhile, the Odisha Society of America, a non-profit organisation for Odias in USA, is creating awareness about the pandemic by organising webinars. Many health experts are participating in these webinars.
Shahana Nayak, who is staying in New York, said community transmission of coronavirus has been reported in large number is her locality. “Despite this, the Mayor of New York is encouraging people to venture out. The situation may worsen further,” Nayak added.
Arindam Ganguly, OP